Prof. Fred Stevens, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the College of Pharmacy and Director a.i at the Linus Pauling Institute from Oregon State University, USA will present his studies on the chemistry of gut microbial metabolism of dietary polyphenols at the 11th World Congress on Polyphenols Applications in Vienne.

According to Professor Stevens epidemiological evidence suggests a positive relationship between intake of polyphenol-rich foods and health. However, experimental evidence from preclinical models has not provided a satisfactory explanation for the health-promoting effects of dietary polyphenols in humans. The research community has begun to recognize the impact that gut microbiota have on the health benefits of polyphenols. Not only do gut microbiota affect bioavailability of dietary polyphenols but also their biological activity, because polyphenol-derived metabolic products often have biological properties that are different from the parent polyphenols. Therefore, knowing how gut microbiota metabolize polyphenols is as important as knowing how bioavailable polyphenols affect the health of the host.